How road markings keep drivers safe

You are in the passenger seat and feeling the wind on your face. Your favorite channel is playing on the radio, random memories fill your mind, and you lose track of time while watching the road lines intertwine with one another on the highway. Even just for this calming experience, we can be grateful for road lines, but as you can guess, their real purpose is far from providing aesthetics.

We come across road lines almost anywhere in the world. They are quite handy and essential for drivers to read the roads. Not only do road surface markings look pretty, but they also convey official information and guide commuters in overtaking a vehicle, making a turn, and staying in the lane.
Considering these lines’ functions, you may be surprised to hear that some countries have started removing road markings on certain roads, and their purpose in doing so is not because they like catastrophes. Rather, findings have shown that this is a much safer way for specific cases.

It may sound surprising but a study conducted by Transport for London has shown that the absence of road lines in certain areas is quite effective and preferable for safer, more regulated traffic. However, these special conditions do not apply everywhere, and removing road lines on every road can create chaos.

If you are wondering about these special conditions and the reasons why the absence of road markings results in safer traffic, this video by Interesting Engineering will satisfy your curiosity.

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